


Set Free

by Thismaddieismadeofcupcakes



Category: Naruto
Genre: Altered Mental States, Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, F/M, Injury Recovery, Mental Instability, Multi, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Secret Admirer, Supportive Kakashi, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-24
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-26 22:12:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2668253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thismaddieismadeofcupcakes/pseuds/Thismaddieismadeofcupcakes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After suffering days of brutal torture, Amaya is finally rescued by the Rookie Nine and Kakashi. Spending months recovering physically with her chakra sealed away, her mental state is wavering. With no access to the Nine Tails that now resides within her, her mind is eerily quiet, yet raging at the same time, silently tearing at the seams. As her friends and family try to get her back on her feet, are they helping, or just adding salt to the infected wound? Is there even a bright side anymore?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All Hell Breaks Loose

**Author's Note:**

> Dark themes lie within. Warnings apply near the start of the story, so if these are triggers for you, then I advise you do not read this story. None of the characters are mine except for Amaya Hatake, and a few other side characters. I've never really done this before, so helpful criticism is welcomed! :) I hope you enjoy!   
> ~ Maddie x

Kakashi half sighed half yawned from behind his mask as he slouched alone on the large brown leather three seated couch that sat rather proudly in the middle of the equally as large lounging area.His one lazy uncovered eye occasionally drifted from his favourite porn novel up towards the grandfather clock that ticked in a slow lulling rhythm on the other side of the room, sighing again out of frustration when he realised that not even five minutes had passed since the last time he had looked at the face of the antique. Two weeks. Had it been that long already?

It seemed like only yesterday that his younger sister, Amaya, had been sent off on her first mission as a Jounin with a group of three gangly naïve Genin. Something about an escort mission to the Land of Waves if he remembered correctly, his younger sibling hadn’t really gone into that much detail about it nor did she look that impressed with it either. Whether that was down to the mission itself, or being stuck with children for two solid weeks, he wasn’t sure. But now, as he sat there reading over the same paragraph for the fifth time due to the lack of concentration, he was at his wits end, waiting with agonising anticipation for said sibling to burst through the front door at any minute, moaning and complaining about how much of a drag her mission had been, or that she wanted to pull her hair out because of the incompetent squad she was in charge over.

But five minutes soon ticked over into an hour, then two hours, then two more, and by this time, Kakashi was starting to get concerned as it was already nightfall. Amaya and her team should have returned to the village by now, and the one eyed ninja couldn’t have missed their arrival as his sibling’s chakra signature was off the charts, and could be detected from three maybe four miles _outside_ of the village. The reason being was because, his sister, was the host of the Nine Tailed Fox, a Jinchuuriki, and a powerful one at that. So the lack of said chakra in the village was eerie to say the least.

But then he was startled from his troubled thoughts when the trill of the doorbell emanated from the direction of the front porch. Kakashi was opening the front door before the bell chime had even finished, only to be greeted by a rather dishevelled and worried Iruka, who was leaning with his hand against the doorframe panting as he looked up into the taller man’s eyes. “Iruka? What’s wrong-,” “There’s no time! Kakashi-san, you need to make your way to Lady Tsunade’s office immediately. It’s Amaya-Chan…” Iruka trailed off, watching how the taller man’s visible eye widened in alarm.

Kakashi didn’t need to be told twice, and shot past the Chunin Academy teacher in a blast of barely controlled chakra, not caring that he’d left the front door open; he knew Iruka would close it for him. The feeling or dread sank lower and lower in the pit of his stomach as he got closer to the Hokage tower, and that dread only increased as he passed swiftly by the general hospital, he could feel the chakra signatures of the three Genin from Amaya’s team. He could sense that one of them was pretty much knocking on the Shinigami’s door as their chakra dwindled barely above a tiny flicker.

All three were hospitalised, barely making it, but Kakashi couldn’t help but notice the lack of their Jounin leader as he carried on towards his destined location. When he arrived, he all but ripped the door off its hinges as he bolted into the middle of the room, staring frantically at the woman that sat behind her desk. Said woman cut him off just as he opened his mouth to spew out a barrage of hysterical questions. “Hatake Kakashi, please take a seat.” The Hokage demanded rather than offered, gesturing for the copy-cat ninja to sit. When he did, Tsunade pushed a relatively thin looking file in front of him on her desk, labelled ‘TEAM 9 MISSION LOG’.

“The mission file you see on top is the mission Hatake Amaya and her Genin team took just over two weeks ago. A simple C classed mission to escort a bridge builder back to the Land of the Waves. If you turn over, you will also see that we received scrolls from her giving us an update on the situation while over there every two days. According to these updates, the mission was completed without so much as a hitch, the last one stating that they were returning. That was sent over five days ago. It only takes two days to return here on foot so we immediately assumed something had gone wrong. We stalled for a few days hoping it was nothing more than a communication error, but were proved wrong when her team of Genin along with a shadow clone of Amaya turned up at the front gate, carrying all three unconscious teens before dropping them into Izumo and Kotetsu’s arms telling them in broken messages ‘Ambush. Situation critical. Genin, hospital, now. I’ve been compromised.’ Before giving them coordinates, screaming in agony and dispersing. That in itself is disturbing as we all know that Amaya’s shadow clones are fuelled by the Nine Tails inside of her, making them incredibly difficult to get rid of. We have managed to stabilise her team, but just barely, I’m not certain they will all make it if I’m being honest. I am now going to send you on an emergency locate and rescue mission to get her back as soon as possible. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Gai, Neji and Shikamaru will be accompanying you and are already waiting at the gate. The coordinates have already been given to Shikamaru. You have half an hour to pack and leave. I hate to say this to you, but you must bring her back no matter what state she is in when you find her. Am I being clear here?” Tsunade asked with a very stern look about her caramel eyes.

“Whoever or whatever ambushed them is powerful if they can take out and abduct a Jinchuuriki so easily. Proceed with extreme caution, Kakashi. Get your sister back to us. You are dismissed.” The blonde woman announced, slumping back into her chair with a heavy sigh as soon as the Jounin teleported out of her office. Kakashi was back at his house before he even had time to blink, rushing up the stairs packing his bag along the way with two sets of smoke bombs, both his and Amaya’s spare pouch of kunai knives, shuriken, Amaya’s katana and several soldier pills. He wasn’t taking any chances this time.

Within seconds he was changed into his mission gear, strapping the Kunai pouches to his waist before sliding on his green vest and sandals before bolting out the door to meet the team waiting for him at the entrance of the village. When he got there, everyone had a look of anger and slight fear on their faces, knowing that If Amaya got took down, they didn’t fare much of a chance against the unknown enemy either. “I’ve been briefed on the situation. We are to move out, locate and bring back Hatake Amaya, eliminate the threat and return. Shikamaru, what are the coordinates?” Kakashi asked, turning his attention towards the lazy Jounin who for once looked very alert. “Fifty miles south-east of here, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Nothing has been charted in that area on the map, it’s a no-go zone. We’ll be running in blind.” Shikamaru stated in irritation, his fingers rippling the edges of the map he was holding in anger.

Kakashi didn’t show any signs of anger or fear or worry, but on the inside his mind was utter chaos, scrambling to find some sort of order and try not to think of all the possible outcomes of this last minute mission. “I see, well everyone is now here and ready, move out!” Kakashi ordered, before all seven of them dispersed, leaving a large cloud of dust and leaves behind them. It took them all till midday the next day to get there at top speed, disposing of bandits and thieves that attempted to stop them along the way. When they reached their destination, Shikamaru had been correct; it was in the middle of nowhere.

Nothing to see for miles around, just barren wasteland. But something was off, he could feel it in the air. “Neji.” Is all Kakashi said for the Jounin to activate his Byakugan, sweeping the area in front of them with his kekkei genkai to see if there were any abnormalities. “There’s a barrier in the way, this place isn’t so barren like we first thought, there’s an underground hideout that stretches for a good few miles.” Neji explained as he shut off his Byakugan, rubbing his eyes from overusing them already. “Do you know what kind of barrier we are dealing with here?” Shikamaru asked, jabbing his thumb in the general direction of said barrier. “Who cares?! Lets just break it down by force! We don’t have time to waste you guys!” Naruto shouted angrily.

Sasuke simply remained static as the conversation turned into an argument between the loud mouthed blonde and the pink haired medic. “You idiot! We can’t just go waltzing up to it and expect it to fall down from the use of a punch! What if it’s a trap? They obviously don’t want anybody going near them, so they put up this barrier to prevent people getting through!” Sakura boomed, hitting Naruto over the head with her gloved fist. “No, he’s right. The barrier is simply there to stop people walking through, nothing more. We can take it down using force.” Sasuke piped up after scanning over the barrier himself with his Sharingan, Kakashi doing the same.

“That seems to be the case. Sakura, do you think you can break it down?” Kakashi asked with a hint of urgency lingering in his slightly muffled tone. Sakura looked briefly between the barrier and her old sensei before giving him a curt nod, walking forward with and outstretched arm till her fingertips pressed up against something she couldn’t see, only for the barrier to glow purple upon contact, making it visible. However when she removed her fingers, it became invisible again. “Alright. I’m going to need a run up for this one, and someone needs to be in contact with the barrier so I can see it.” Sakura stated before jumping backwards a few feet for the run up that was required.

She then braced her legs and cocked her fist to the side before shrouding it in chakra and dashing forward, jumping high into the air at the last second with a burst of chakra. “SHANNARO!!” She roared before connecting her fist with the purple barrier. Everyone felt the ground shake underneath them from the impact, and nothing happened at first till the barrier began to crack from underneath her fist. It continued to do this till the barrier shattered into tiny little pieces that faded away before they hit the ground.

However, as soon as the barrier had dropped, all seven ninja were hit by a wave of Amaya’s spiralling chakra like a stinging slap to the face, creating a bitter wind that whipped and shrieked around them violently, only for it to die down as quickly as it had come. “Amaya is definitely here.” Naruto stated the obvious, seemingly unaffected by the chakra adorned wind, as he was the previous host to the Nine tails, gaining some immunities against the demon’s chakra along the way.

“We have company.” Gai informed them enthusiastically whilst running forward to take on the four rouge ninjas heading straight toward them. “MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!” Naruto shouted, creating over a hundred solid copies of himself. He may not be able to create as many as he could as a Jinchuuriki, but he still had some of the Nine tails chakra that had moulded together with his own. They all dashed forward and literally piled on top of the enemy with Rasengan’s in each hand, utterly pummelling the four ninja’s into the ground with the help of Gai who made sure they stayed down with a swift snap to their necks. They wouldn’t be bothering them anytime soon.

The rest of the team didn’t hesitate to move on and jumped down into the entrance buried in the ground. Inside the tunnels were long and narrow, only lit by an occasional torch that cast eerie shadows on their faces as they passed them. Sasuke shuddered involuntarily as he noticed the layout of the tunnels reminded him of one of Orochimaru’s hideouts, but nobody was paying attention enough to notice. As they moved quickly through the winding tunnels, Kakashi let out a quiet gasp as he picked up his sister’s Chakra as they got further into the underground tunnel complex.

“Found her. Follow me but keep your guard up.” Kakashi bit out as he couldn’t fail to notice how her chakra fluctuated and flickered, like a candle flame being threatened to be blown out. They all nodded and took off at top speed with Kakashi in front, Sakura flanking him as she was the only medic in the group, and was definitely needed this time. Nobody said a word as they turned left and right, only to suddenly screech to a stop and duck as a large shuriken shot out of nowhere and passed over their heads. “Tripwires! Watch your step Gai, these tunnels could be rigged with anything. We were lucky this time, we might not be so much if that happens again.” Kakashi bit out at the fact he almost had his head taken off if it weren’t for his fast reflexes. Gai simply nodded but felt stupid for not being on his guard like Kakashi had asked. “The floor in front of us is false, move to the walls.” Sasuke stated, before everyone moulded charka into their feet to run along the walls. By doing this they managed to slip past any more traps that had been set for them, and eventually stopped in front of a reinforced metal door that was heavily bolted on the outside to prevent people on the inside from escaping.

Everyone had frozen solid as they could practically feel a cold and sickening aura leaking from the cracks and gaps in the door, even with the door closed, they could smell the death coming from inside. “Is she…” Naruto began to ask but trailed off when Kakashi looked at him. “She’s alive, just barely. She’s the only person in there. You stay out here. Make sure nobody gets in. Sakura, come with me.” Kakashi ordered, his voice wobbling as he really didn’t want to know or see what was on the other side. Sakura made short work of the door blocking their path, punching all the locks off of it before they both slipping inside and shut the door behind them.

Moments later the rest of the team keeping watch heard Sakura cry out in despair, disgust and fear. Alarming everyone who had by now turned to face the closed door. From inside, the room reeked of blood and sex, the once white walls heavily stained in the crimson liquid that was still relatively fresh. But right in the centre of the room, was a singular metal table with a mauled and battered girl strapped to it by her wrists and ankles. She wore nothing except a ripped up bloodied white sheet that partially covered her torn and burnt flesh and a black metal collar around her neck. Her once silvery glossy hair stained a dull brick brown with dried blood and dirt as well as other things that the two other ninjas didn’t want to think about, though they both knew what the substance was.

To the far right sat a small table that had several instruments they had used to torture Amaya with, all completely soaked in the Jounin’s blood. Her head was lolled to one side, facing the two ninjas but not seeing anything, her coal grey eyes wide open but glazed over, her mouth gagged with a filthy rag also stained brown with both dried and fresh blood. Sakura quickly snapped out of her shocked state and dashed over to her unconscious friend, gingerly pulling on the sheet and cringing as she felt it peel away, noticing strange black markings littering her chest and torso. She then unbuckled the leather straps and gently lifted her head and set it straight ahead before hovering healing chakra enhanced hands over her face, gradually moving down to run a diagnostic.

“Fractured eye socket, broken jaw in four places, deep wound to left cheek, fractured collarbone, six cracked ribs, three broken, several ruptured organs, shattered hip bones and pelvis, severe internal ripping, broken right femur, both ankles crushed, all ten toes dislocated…” By the time Sakura had finished, tears were streaming down her face as they both let the extent of the damage sink into their brains. “I estimate over four pints of blood have been lost within 24 hours. C-commencing surgery.” Sakura stuttered and she intensified her chakra and began healing the ruptured organs first, then her ribs, watching how her chest rose up instantly as the bones were set back into place.

By the time she had finished, half her chakra had been depleted, and that was just on organs and ribs… “Kakashi-Sensei, I’ll run out of chakra before I can finish healing her properly, I need you to lend me some of your own. Place your hands over the top of mine and follow my movements.” Sakura instructed, a deep scowl of concentration furrowing her manicured pink brows. Even with this level of concentration, her tears still fell, washing away some of the blood that smeared Amaya’s sickly pale skin. It shouldn’t be that colour, Amaya was gifted with naturally golden sun-kissed skin, not this pasty appearance that was beading with sweat from an overly high fever. The dark circles underneath her eyes told them that this torture had been happening for quite a few days, no doubt constant right up until their team interrupted them. Kakashi complied in jerky motions, still in a state of shock and horror, making Sakura’s hands glow brighter with the extension of his chakra boosting her own.

By doing this, Amaya’s injuries healed twice as fast, quickly regaining the correct face shape as her jaw and eye socket were snapped back into place and fused. Half an hour later, they had managed to heal all the life threatening injuries, but even between them there wasn’t enough chakra to heal the Jounin completely. She would be leaving this hell hole with broken legs, feet, hips and such little blood it wasn’t even remotely funny. Their attention was diverted by the sound of metal clanging and chakra spiking from just outside the door, meaning that the rest of the team had engaged with the enemy. Sakura looked up at Kakashi with stern eyes. “We need to move her now and get her to a hospital, we’ve saved her from having tea and cookies with the Shinigami, but she is still buried deep inside the woods. I can’t even imagine what this would have done to her mental health…” Sakura trailed off whilst looking away from the older man.

Kakashi didn’t respond at first, but nodded and went to scoop up the limp frame into his arms. But, as soon as he made contact with her skin, Amaya woke up instantly, her entire body going ridged before jerking violently, trying to get out of his grasp. “NO! GET OFF ME!! GET AWAY!” She screeched; her voice cracked and raw from screaming constantly. She was awake, but could still see nothing, her dulled eyes wheeling aimlessly while what parts of her body were responsive flailed in an attempt to get away from her attacker.

Her reaction had scared Kakashi half to death, never in his life had he heard or seen Amaya fear for her life quite like this. “A-Amaya! Hey, it’s Kakashi! Snap out of it!” Kakashi called desperately, hoping that his voice would reach through the abyss of her mind. Her struggling halted immediately, freezing all movements as her unseeing eyes stared upwards into Kakashi’s. “Not again… Please no… You’re not real… Stop it, enough… I’ve had enough, now…”  She croaked out, her voice sounding utterly defeated and fragile as a single tear slid down her blood smeared cheek. Kakashi smiled sadly from underneath his mask, pulling his sister’s body closer to his own into a half hug. “I’m very real, Amaya. I’m right here; I’ve got you now, stay calm.” Kakashi whispered. “You keep saying that, right before you die… You have to run now, before… they get you too… They’ll get you too, they will, they will!!” Her voice started out as a whisper in the wind, but gradually got louder and more hysterical as her eyes widened in fear and terror.

“Not again, I can’t lose you again, not this time, not next time, no more now. Okay, ‘Kashi? You have to run now-.” She was cut off when Kakashi knocked her out with his Sharingan. Once again falling limp into his arms as he put her under a peaceful genjutsu.  Sakura removed the long beige cloak she had been wearing to cover up the fallen Jounin and keep her warm as well as keep what little remained of her pride left intact as she was brought in front of the rest of the team that had fought tooth and nail to get her back. When the three of them exited the room, the fighting has ceased and was taken care of, leaving the other five ninjas panting slightly for breath. They all turned to face them with looks of sadness and anger as they took in the state Amaya had been reduced to, her breathing hitched and haggard from the fever she had developed, her skin that wasn’t smeared in her own blood paler than Sai's. 

“We don’t have time to waste. We need to leave right now.” Kakashi bit out venomously as he clutched onto the frame in his arms like his life depended on it. She was the only family he had left; he wasn’t going to lose her now. “We engaged the enemy, but they fled when we took down half of their group, too fast for us to catch them.” Neji explained as they all took off in haste, his pale lilac eyes drifting towards the pasty body being held in the older Jounin’s arms. Her long soiled hair flaring behind them as they leapt through the treetops at top speed. He could see very little silver hair unscathed, the sight was truly devastating. Before they had left the underground base, they had managed to salvage her green vest and headband, though the fabric was torn in far too many places to save, the rest of her uniform they had found piled in the far end of the room, ripped to shreds and stained with dirt and blood.

They made it back to the village early the following morning after having no rest breaks along the way. Shikamaru dashed towards the Hokage tower to alert them of the situation whilst Kakashi and Sakura teleported Amaya to the hospital fast enough so that none of the shinobi or civilians present could see her long enough to spread rumours of her condition. Merely minutes after arriving, the fallen Jounin was rushed into surgery, surrounded by panicked nurses and doctors, some even fainting at the sight of her mauled body. Kakashi felt like collapsing, as soon as he had to let go of his sister, the genjutsu he’d managed to keep up for almost 24 hours broke, waking the Jinchuuriki host up instantly who began screaming and crying out in agony, the curdling sound rattled the very foundations of the large hospital, piercing through every soul inside the building and wouldn’t stop till they sedated the fragile being it originated from.

But what really terrified the staff in charge of looking after the Hatake sibling was the fact that all the injuries Sakura had managed to heal with the help of Kakashi, began to reform, several bones snapping and crunching all at once not to mention the internal organs failing and tearing open for a second time. If it weren’t for the fact that she was heavily sedated, it would have been hell on earth. “GET THE HOKAGE! THIS IS A LEVEL 7 EMERGENCY!” The head surgeon yelled, making his subordinates scramble. They had realised the frightening black markings that were branded into the Jounin’s flesh were preventing them from healing her wounds, reversing their efforts back to their original state and the only thing they could do to keep her alive was bandage them and hook her up on several IV’s and blood pouches.

It was honestly a miracle she had survived that long. Her heart rate varied from barely beating at all, to threatening to burst out of her already broken ribs, sending the machines keeping her alive into a bleeping frenzy. When Lady Tsunade arrived, she told them she knew of the markings that adorned the young woman’s restrained frame. They were used for interrogations, preventing the person they were cast upon from using suicidal related justu’s in order to withhold information. She told them the leaf used this method too, but as a last resort if Ibiki couldn’t crack them first. But there was a catch to the very convenient jutsu, any injuries inflicted upon the person after the jutsu had been cast, would not heal with the help of medical ninjutsu, and could not be removed unless the caster allows them to or is killed.

She then explained that after studying the black metal collar that was fastened rather tightly around the Kunoichi’s neck, sealed off the Nine Tails and her own chakra completely, and could only be removed when the person who infused their chakra into it was killed or removed it themselves. That worried the Hokage more than anything, the collar had been crafted and designed specifically to seal away the Nine Tails. Whoever had ambushed Amaya’s team and captured the Jounin, they knew exactly who she was and what they were dealing with. Were they related to the Akatsuki? She surely hoped not.

Because of the seals and the collar, Amaya would not be out of the hospital for at least nine months till she made a full physical recovery. If the enemy’s intentions were to attack the village while their ‘ultimate trump card’ was out of commission, they had all the time in the world to do it. Tsunade gritted her teeth in seething anger, her fingers denting the metalwork surrounding the bed the Kunoichi was laying deadly still in. She had been forced into a medical induced coma, and would remain that way till she was fully recovered. They had wrapped her up with so much fabric and gauze, as well as several casts and braces that you could hardly see the person underneath. Her skin had been cleaned and her hair had been washed and braided to keep it out of the way.

But even then she didn’t look anything like the proud Jounin everyone knew and loved; her skin while not covered in blood anymore; was chalk white and littered with stitches and deep purple and black bruises. Half of her face had to be wired shut so that it wouldn’t heal at a funny angle while her mouth and nose had an oxygen mask obscuring the bottom half. The rest had been bandaged over to prevent infections. Her bed had been raised to allow her lungs to breathe under the broken and cracked ribcage that looked like someone had tried to play Shogi with, while her broken limbs had been suspended or put in plaster to set them right again. Her internal injuries were the most concerning, as they couldn’t do anything to heal them, and were praying Amaya had the strength and willpower to heal them herself.

The team that had been sent to rescue were all sitting in the waiting area in silence, which was occasionally broken by the tapping of Naruto’s impatient foot only for it to stop when Sasuke shot him an annoyed glare. Kakashi had been staring at the pale green double doors ever since he had been told to sit down. It had been well over an hour since they had heard anything, and he refused to take his eyes off them till somebody walked through to let them know everything was going to be okay. After what felt like an eternity, Tsunade was the person that walked through those god awful doors with a weary look about her features and posture.

Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and her long blonde hair pinned on the top of her head instead of its usual twin tailed style. “Kakashi, I’d like to speak to you in private please.” The Hokage asked, her voice making her sound like she hadn’t slept in days. Kakashi got up without a word and followed the smaller woman to a room further down the hallway, both entering and sat down. Tsunade sighed and slumped into the back of the chair with relief, her back popping from having to stand up for so long. “I’m going to be blunt with you. She will live if her condition doesn’t worsen from what it is now. Unfortunately, because of the seals and the metal collar we found on her body, her own and the Nine Tails chakra have been sealed away. We are also unable to heal her with medical ninjutsu, as Sakura’s efforts were futile. The seals prevent any wounds afflicted after the jutsu has been cast to be healed by the use of chakra, all the injuries Sakura healed reopened or reversed if you will. Because of this and the extent of damage, Amaya has been placed under a medical induced coma and will remain this way for at least nine months. This is how long it is going to take for her to fully recover. I’m sorry, but my hands are tied here, there’s nothing more I can do for her other than keep her hooked up to and IV and blood supply. If you want to go and see her, you can. But I warn you, she’s in pretty bad shape.” Tsunade finished with another sigh at how Kakashi’s visible eye widened a fraction throughout the conversation.

The room fell silent again as the two ninja’s stared at each other. One waiting for an answer whilst the other not knowing how to think let alone speak. Kakashi got up without a word and walked out of the door without even shutting it behind him. His usual slouched carefree walk gone completely as he walked towards Amaya’s room with tightly strung anticipation. He walked past the team of shinobi without giving them even a glance as he pushed against the double doors without hesitation, ignoring Naruto’s demands on the situation.

As soon as he was on the other side of the doors he hit the brakes, wanting to crumple to the floor and scream till his throat exploded. He could hardly see anything of his sister, and the only indication that it was actually her under the layers of bandages and tape was the braided silver hair piled loosely on top of her head. Both her eyes had been bandaged over and her jaw set in a horrifying metal brace. Several different wires stuck out from underneath the fabric, linking to a variety of complicated machines that were the only things keeping her alive. The heart monitor to the right of her blipped at a steady but slow pace, and the disgusting sound you get when slurping the last remains of juice through a straw could be heard every time fresh blood was pumped back into her veins.

The one eyed Jounin slowly made his way over to his sibling’s bedside, taking a seat in the empty chair that sat next to it and leant forward till his forehead pressed gently against the pale hand that lay limp at her side, being mindful of the wires that were attached to it. After all, he didn’t want to extend her stay in this god awful place even further than it already was because of his carelessness. Nine months was an incredibly long time to wait. Amaya would lose her perfect tanned skin, as well as a lot of weight and muscle. Nine months without the use of chakra would be taxing, she would become exhausted easily. But what Kakashi feared the most was the state her mind had been hurdled into. 

From what little information he could gather when he first found the Jounin, she had been placed under a powerful genjutsu that enabled her to think that he had come to rescue her many times, over and over again, only to be killed or murdered in a different way each time. Something like that would send anybody mad eventually. And depending on how skilled the genjutsu wielder was, they were capable of making a single second feel like a week had passed. And if that were the case, five days locked up in that room would have stirred up damage on an unthinkable scale. He only hoped that Amaya was strong enough to realise that it wasn’t real, and accept that he was fine, the village was fine, and that she would be eventually. 

Easier said than done. Amaya could be incredibly stubborn, and if her mind was set to believe something that never happened, it would like fighting fire with fire. Before he knew it, the older Jounin had let his mind go rampant to the point where exhaustion claimed him completely, falling into a deep and much needed slumber, resting comfortably next to the only person in his wretched life he truly cared about with every fibre of his being. Knowing that she was now safe and healing. That thought alone was enough to push away the ‘what if’s’ that had begun to spiral out of control. When the night nurse turned up to check on the comatose ninja, she smiled at the sight of the usually on guard and ridged copy-cat Jounin draped over the side of the bed with his gloved fingers woven between his sister’s affectionately without a care in the world. His features relaxed in the waves of sleep. The only sounds emanating from the room were the quiet beeps from the machines and his steady whispered breathing through his dark navy blue mask. She didn’t have the heart to wake him to tell him it was well past visiting hours, she understood how important sibling bonds were, and in the lifestyle they had chosen to take, they were also very fragile as they had found out the hard way.


	2. Patience Is Virtue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd post a second chapter with the first, just because, you know, I'm nice :') Still working on chapter three, so that may be a while, but bare with me! ^-^

When Kakashi woke the next morning, his back and neck were stiff from lying in such an odd angle, but it was worth it. It was only then after the fog in his mind began to clear, and the blurriness coating his vision had faded that he realised it wasn’t just him and Amaya in the room. “Y-You m-m-m-must ha-have b-been really tired, Kakashi-sensei… I’ve b-been s-s-s-sitting here f-for over twenty m-mi-minutes now. I-I apologise I-if I s-startled you.” A familiar feminine voice stuttered quietly from his left. He lifted his head off of Amaya’s arm to look at the timid Hyuga heiress sitting next to him, smiling sadly at Amaya’s unconscious form, absentmindedly fiddling with the ends of the Jounin’s long silvery hair, glad to see it that colour again.

“Not at all, keeping up a genjutsu for over 24 hours does that to a person. Not to mention the enemy we came across was pretty nasty.” Kakashi explained, giving Hinata his signature eye smile while rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Over the years, Hinata and Amaya had become pretty close friends, and while Amaya was the confident one out of the two, they got along like two peas in a pod. Looking out for each other and propping each other up when support was needed. “I believe you.” Hinata responded sadly, one of the rare occasions she didn’t stutter was when she was serious or overwhelmed by sadness, in this case, it was both.

“But what matters the most is that you all came back safely, bringing Amaya-Chan with you. She may have suffered more than any of us could imagine, but I believe she will get through it with us by her side to support her.” The lilac eyed Kunoichi continued, an air of small confidence flittering about her as she looked directly at the older Jounin this time, determination swirling in her delicate pale orbs. Kakashi was proud of his sister for finding such a loyal and kind hearted friend but couldn’t help let a slither of doubt filter into his mind as he took in the battered sight of the Jinchuuriki host.

“How can you be so sure, Hinata-Chan? What if her mind is too far gone for us to reach? She has been violated in almost every aspect, mind, body and soul. What if she doesn’t want our help?” “Because she is strong, like her brother. If you are strong, she will be too. You must put all your faith into her full recovery if she is make it out of the woods.” Hinata explained with a small smile on her face before looking down at her hands folded neatly in her lap. “I remember a few days before she left for her mission with her Genin team, we were walking through the gardens of my home. She told me she liked white Camellias. I had no idea Amaya had an interest in them, but apparently she likes them very much. Were you aware of this, Kakashi-sensei?” The shy Chunin asked as she gestured towards the shallow crystal bowl of water filled with the delicate flowers drifting on the surface by the open window as it let in a gentle breeze.

Kakashi’s eye widened at the realisation that no, he didn’t know that Amaya had a liking for white Camellias. It had never even crossed his mind to ask. Amaya wasn’t the type of girl to flaunt over feminine things like Sakura and Ino did. She never wore dresses or did anything extravagant with her hair and makeup. Her casual clothing was pretty much the same as her uniform minus the jacket and headband. Overall, she was as far away from feminine as someone could get. So it was a surprise that she even took her time to appreciate such a delicate thing as a Camellia. “No, I was not. But, Amaya isn’t really one to tell me what her likes and interests are. If it doesn’t come up in conversation, then she won’t mention it.” He explained as he watched the water in the bowl ripple gently in the wind, bringing a rather pleasant scent into the room instead of the typical sterile smell that overpowered his senses.

His eyes then drifted back over to the unconscious Jounin sleeping hopefully peacefully. “She’s going to miss her birthday… And Christmas.” Kakashi mumbled as he counted the months ahead. This made Hinata’s eyes widen, she wasn’t aware of how long Amaya would have to stay hospitalised. “Y-y-you mean, she…” Hinata trailed off hoping for the older Jounin to fill her in. Said ninja sighed as he leaned back in his seat making his back pop. “Lady Tsunade informed me yesterday that it will be a whole nine months till Amaya fully recovers. During that time, she will be under a medical induced coma. Both hers and Kurama’s chakra have been sealed away by the collar you see around her neck. There are also seals on her skin preventing the staff here from healing the wounds faster. For now, she’s on her own and incredibly vulnerable, but there’s nothing we can do to help her at this point. Not until she wakes up again.” Kakashi explained whilst looking away from the startled heiress sitting next to him.

It was difficult to accept that he wouldn’t be able to speak to her till February the following year. “I-I d-didn’t kn-know that…” Hinata trailed off again, tears pricking the edges of her eyes as she realised just how much her friend had suffered and still was suffering. She couldn’t comprehend. Feeling as though she had overstayed her welcome, Hinata stood quietly from her stool, placing a gentle comforting hand on the Jounin’s shoulder. “Stay strong, Kakashi-sensei, for both of you.” Hinata almost whispered with a small smile before leaving the room and sliding the door shut behind her.

Kakashi didn’t relax until he could no longer hear Hinata’s footsteps trailing off down the hallway. It was then, and only then that Kakashi allowed himself to let out a single tear from his visible eye before weaving his fingers through Amaya’s again. “We’ll be okay; you’ll be okay, alright, Amaya? Promise me you’ll be strong enough to get through this, I know you can. I believe in you, we all do.” He whispered before getting up out of his seat and giving the pale hand a gentle squeeze before he too left the room with his normal default expression planted on his face. He had to be strong.

A whole month passed by and nothing had really changed. Amaya’s condition had improved slightly as expected, she no longer had bandages around her face but the wire brace still remained. Her blood supply had been fully restored but her natural tanned skin had begun to pale from being indoors. Kakashi had tried to maintain it by keeping the window open as much as possible as the sun hit her room directly, but his efforts weren’t producing fruit. An investigation had begun over who they were actually dealing with as an enemy. Merely weeks after Amaya had been hospitalised, reports came flying in that the same group of people were believed to have attempted to kidnap Gaara much the same way they had to her, but had failed to capture the One Tailed Jinchuuriki due to his impressive control over the sand surrounding his village.

Despite this, Gaara had only managed to pick off two of the assassins while going all out on them, which was even more worrying. Kakashi didn’t visit Amaya every day like he had for the first few weeks after being assured he would be told immediately if something happened. He had been told it wasn’t healthy for him to stay by her side day in day out, and he reluctantly agreed. He was now back to taking on missions again after having a small vacation away from shinobi life to get over the shock of almost, _almost_ losing his only family. He treated them as a distraction, taking on missions that required him to spend extended amounts of time away from the village to clear his head.

Time seemed to pass quicker that way, he noticed. He kept up this routine until yet another month passed by, during which he had only spent up to a maximum of five days in the village itself before taking on yet another mission far away somewhere. During the short periods of time he spent in the village, he went to visit Amaya, talked to her a bit about how his missions had been going, how he had managed to get enough income in the house to support them both for quite some time. He would replace the white Camellias in the crystal bowl Hinata had left behind when he had the chance before sitting back down next to her, untying, combing through and re-braiding her hair with the help of Ino who had just happened to visit her that particular day. Apparently teaching Kakashi how to create fishtail plaits was a funny sight, but he picked up on the technique pretty quickly thanks to his Sharingan.

Summer hit Kohona in a massive heat wave that year, making it uncomfortable for everyone, even Naruto who was used to lounging outside and practically owned his own sun with that mop of bright blonde hair of his. Sakura checked up on Amaya frequently, being head of the medical staff and everything. She assured Kakashi when he was around that Amaya’s condition was improving and that the wire brace could be taken off in a couple of weeks. The plaster casts on her legs and feet had also been taken off, but her toes would take slightly longer to heal due to temporary nerve damage. Kakashi hadn’t been pleased to hear that, deciding it was time for another mission.

When he returned, true to her word, Sakura had taken the wire brace off of the Kunoichi’s pale face, making that the only part of her body fully restored back to how it used to look. There were a few faint scars, but they would disappear when they caught the rouge ninjas that had done this and forced them to remove the collar encased around her slender neck. Kurama’s healing abilities would see to that definitely. While he was on a rest break between missions, Lady Tsunade had made the decision to take a risky move and operate on her internal organs after finding out they hadn’t been functioning properly. The operation had been a success but the Jounin’s heart had failed twice during the procedure. Those had been the scariest moments of the older Jounin’s life.

Not even when he had been forced to kill his old teammate Rin came close to how utterly petrified he had been, and he was pretty sure it had shown on his face at the time, eyes could be so expressive it was hilarious. What was even more ludicrous though was when they then asked him to use his Chidori to jumpstart her heart back to life. He had honestly thought they had finally cracked and gone insane. The Chidori was designed to stop hearts like he had done to Rin, not restart them again. Even so, he had complied, resulting in the younger Kunoichi being still alive as he sat next to her again.

She had suffered minor burns thanks to his lightning jutsu, but nothing life threatening. August rolled into September and Kakashi spent his 30th in the hospital with his sister, who had improved exponentially now that her inner organs were where they were supposed to be and not in some form of smoothie. Some colour had returned to her face, but not enough to get excited about, she just didn’t look dead now. People had offered to take him out for his birthday, but he had politely declined explaining that he’d prefer to stay with his younger sibling.

Two weeks later, Amaya’s 23rd birthday arrived, and to Kakashi’s surprise, the entire rookie nine as well as a few from his generation turned up to drop off presents for both of them as he had pretty much missed his own too. Ino had stocked to room full of sweet smelling flowers, consisting mostly of different varieties of Camellias. Amaya had even received a bouquet of red and white camellias arranged slightly differently from an unknown source, as Kakashi had asked Ino if she had put them there when he found them placed in a vase next to her on the bedside table. The Kunoichi had told him she had not put them there, nor did she know who did. Telling the older Jounin they were already there when she arrived.

Kakashi smiled at this, his baby sister had an admirer, not that he blamed them; she did inherit most of his looks despite him never revealing his entire face to anybody. Amaya had only seen it once, and that was only because she had accidently walked in on him while he was having a bath. That hadn’t played out well as he had threatened to cut her hair off while she slept and sell it to old pervy men if she told anybody. Needless to say, Amaya refused to go to sleep that night for obvious reasons. Kakashi had bought her an oriental katana as a present, as he did know she had a soft spot for traditional weapons and clothing. It wasn’t for practical use, but could cause some damage is Amaya decided to fight with it. Her swordsmanship was on a whole different level.

After that, the healing process was slow, so Kakashi took on yet another solo mission that lasted for just over five weeks, coming back slightly battered this time and spending a week of recovery in a bed right next to his oblivious sister. That comfort alone was the only reason he put up with staying in there at all. During the early months of Amaya’s recovery, Kakashi had requested that Tsunade test the Kunoichi for a pregnancy, he didn’t have to say anything else to the older woman who had nodded immediately and begun the procedure. To everyone’s relief, it had come up negative. Amaya would have been torn apart if she had found out she was pregnant with her attacker’s child. It was early November before the older Jounin had fully noticed, and as he walked through the fairly busy streets of Kohona, he couldn’t help but feel the stares and whispers about Amaya’s whereabouts as they spotted him buying groceries, but only enough to sustain himself, not the other sibling they knew lived with him.

A cover story had been fed to the civilians about the ninja who was the hot topic as of late. Her red herring was that she was on an extended mission for a year in the land of waves after discovering the state the small town was in, helping the villagers over there get back on their feet. The civilians that had seen the Jounin when she first arrived in the village five months ago had their memories of seeing her that day erased to prevent panic from spreading about her condition. They believed it for a while, but were starting to have their doubts. It was odd for a single Jounin, not to mention a new one to take on such a long mission by themselves.

A complicated matter such as restoring an entire village would have to have at least a small group of Jounin, possibly even AMBU too. Kakashi sighed inwardly; it wouldn’t be much longer before they demanded answers to where the Jinchuuriki really was. He was brought out of his thoughts when the elderly lady standing behind his favourite grocery stand piped up. “Ah, Kakashi-Kun, have you heard from Amaya-Chan, dear? She hasn’t been around for such a long time now.” The elderly woman rasped out as she looked up at the taller man with curious searching eyes.

Many passers-by had stopped to overhear the conversation thinking they wouldn’t be noticed, were they blind as to who they were trying to eavesdrop on?  “No, I have not. But she should be back in the village sometime in February if I recall correctly. We heard that the Village is doing much better now that they have support.” Kakashi replied with a half-truth and an eye smile before thanking the woman for his groceries and leaving the busy street before he got asked anymore questions. Christmas came around along with a blanket of thick white snow. Kakashi had spent the second half of the bitterly cold month away on a mission to the Land of Snow with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke this time.

It had been Tsunade’s idea apparently to get the old team back together for a mission. She had told him there was only so much a person could take if they were left alone all the time. Kakashi appreciated the offer and set out with his old team for the remainder of the month. The four of them returned mid-January, the snow was still being as stubborn as ever and coated the village in a veil of white. They had arrived in the middle of the night and Kakashi had offered to write the report, letting the three younger Shinobi go home to get some rest. Just as he was on his way back to his own home that had felt far too big with just him living there, an AMBU stopped him in the street informing him to see Lady Tsunade immediately.

Sleep be damned, it had to have been important for him to be summoned at such an ungodly hour, so he shot off towards the Hokage Tower with the last bust of chakra he could squeeze out before he collapsed, appearing in front of the blonde woman’s desk in a crouch, some AMBU habits die hard. He stood up again when Tsunade didn’t say anything and automatically took that as a bad sign. “Relax Kakashi, I summoned you here to tell you we plan to wake Amaya up earlier than planned, her healing progress is ahead of schedule. She should be fully healed within the next week, so I suggest you stay in the village for a while. Also, when you have the chance, send me a report on your latest mission.” Tsunade all but droned out, smiling slightly at how Kakashi’s tense frame finally relaxed after nine months of being wound up like a tight spring.

Kakashi bowed his head and left. He was too tired to visit his younger sibling so he’d make up for it and see her first thing the next morning. When he got home he crashed on the couch and stayed there till morning. After handing in his report he was hunted down by Gai, who challenged him to a dango eating contest. “I was going to see Amaya today,” Kakashi started before leaning in to whisper in Gai’s ear out of earshot of the people surrounding them in the street. “Lady Tsunade told me yesterday that they were going to wake her up early, sometime next week in fact.” He hushed out, rolling his visible eye when Gai took a dramatic step back with an exaggerated gasp of surprise. “That is excellent news my eternal rival! All the more reason to celebrate with a batch of twenty hot steaming dangos!” The Green beast of Kohona shouted enthusiastically, gaining irritated stares from passers-by.

Kakashi didn’t get a chance to argue before a muscled arm was draped heavily over his shoulders and steering him in the direction of the dango restaurant. Seeing it being too much effort for the Jounin to put up a protest, he submitted with a sigh and let himself get forced to eat far too much than what was considered healthy of the syrupy treat, wiping the floor with Gai once again, making the record 50 to 49 wins to him. Bidding Gai farewell who was groaning with a chronic stomach ache, he left to visit his sibling. When he arrived, he noticed that there was yet another bouquet of red and white camellias placed neatly in a vase with an envelope tucked underneath the glass addressed to the sleeping Kunoichi.

“They’re getting bold you know, Amaya. Better watch out.” Kakashi mumbled as he sat down in his seat and re-braided the Jounin’s hair after noticing that it had been washed and left to dry. “Your hair has grown again Amaya; you should be able to sit on it now huh? Ah, but I see you still have one or two strands that defy the laws of physics. We aren’t siblings for nothing now are we?” He said with a chuckle as he combed through the silvery locks with his fingers. “But you’ll never be at my level in that department, sorry, but that’s my win.” He smiled as he finished the twin fishtail plaits. “I had the fabric changed on your headband while I was away; the last one got pretty damaged. Your vest was a pain to clean too, but it came out looking brand new eventually.” Kakashi continued quietly before leaning back in his chair.

He then pulled out his favourite novel and began reading peacefully, basking in the opportunity to read his literature in front of Amaya without the young woman clobbering him over the head with some blunt object yelling at him for being a ‘perverted pineapple head’ – her words exactly. He hadn’t realised he had fallen asleep whilst reading, the chair was comfier than it looked… He jolted awake some unknown time later by a tap on his shoulder, his book that had been resting on his face toppling to the floor with a thud when he sat up straight, light rudely invading his tired eye as he blearily blinked his sleep away. Finally addressing three young Genin that were huddled together in the space between him and Amaya’s bed, Kakashi rubbed his visible eye, picking up his book and placing it on the bedside table. “Good afternoon Kakashi-Sensei, we are Amaya-Sensei’s Genin team. Is it alright if we visit her? We knocked, but nobody answered, sorry.” A boy, the tallest of the three by quite a bit, explained politely, bowing his head in respect, the other two following his example.

“Uh, yea, sure. I was just about to leave anyway. Glad to see you three are doing well. When your Sensei wakes up, you’ll take care of her for me, won’t you?” The Jounin asked, standing up with his book, turning to face the small group through his uncovered eye, secretly smiling when the three of then stood straight with determination blaring in their eyes. “Hai Kakashi-Sensei! We will protect her with our lives, just like she did for us!” They exclaimed in unison. That was all the Oldest Hatake needed to hear before he waved them off, closing the door behind him.

The rest of the week proved relatively uneventful, Amaya’s Genin team visiting regularly, as if they could sense her wakening was approaching. Kakashi lingered around the village, having nothing to do since he was on ‘vacation’. He spent his time cleaning the house, only recently realising that he had been neglecting it, and as a result, it had grown quite messy. He also helped the old Team 7 whenever they needed it, which honestly wasn’t that often anymore, they had finally grown up, standing on their own two feet. He was proud of them, immensely so.

When he wasn’t tackling the house chores or aiding his old team, he decided to keep an eye on Amaya’s Team, realising that they needed to be whipped up into shape. They were only Genin after all, and he knew once Amaya was awake, she wouldn’t be training them for some time, someone had to cover for her while she recovered her strength, it was the least he could do. When Monday rolled around, Kakashi had been grocery shopping yet again in the morning, but this time for two people, not just for himself. He had just gotten back to the house when an AMBU shinobi flickered into existence right in the middle of his living room. “Hatake Kakashi, you have been summoned to Leaf General Hospital and must come with me immediately.” Kakashi nodded, dropped everything he was holding onto the counter and took off towards the hospital with the AMBU leading the way.


	3. Break and Bend, I Will Mend

They appeared right outside his sister’s room, where the AMBU then took his post guarding the entrance while the older Jounin slid the door open and walked through. Once inside, Tsunade, Sakura, Hinata, and a few nurses he had never seen before were dotted around the spacious room, silent, all looking up at him as he entered. The Jounin’s singular eye then fell on the frail looking Kunoichi that was now very much awake, propped upright by a mountain of pillows, staring blankly out of the window. Tsunade intercepted him then before he had the chance to speak to his ever silent sibling. The Hokage looked directly into his eye, a look that was serious but held sympathy at the same time. “We woke her, as planned, but she hasn’t spoken a word to us, or even given us a second glance. As her brother, we’re hoping Amaya will respond to you.” The blonde woman explained, before leaving the room, the nurses and Amaya’s friends following her out till it was just the two siblings alone.

The silence was deafening, something he wasn’t used to when being near his younger sibling. Amaya wasn’t loud per se, but couldn’t handle long periods of silence, filling it up with chatter or complaining or something. “Amaya.” Kakashi called, breaking the quiet that had enveloped the room. When she didn’t respond, he walked to the edge of her bed, sat down in the chair and carefully took her pale delicate hand within his own. Upon contact, Amaya’s tired, worn out frame stiffened. He could feel what little muscle she had left locking up in defence, but otherwise didn’t pull away from him. “Amaya.” He called again, his voice clearer than before, idly rubbing small circles into the back of the female Jounin’s hand. “Look at me, please.” He pleaded, shinobi pride be damned. Kakashi almost sighed in relief when his sister finally turned her gaze away from the window to look at him. Her dazed gaze tore Kakashi apart, and let out a shaky breath when Amaya’s free hand slowly and strenuously made its way up to his face, where she then gently poked him in the forehead with her index finger. A gesture quite strange and simple to outsiders, but as children, the Hatake siblings used this as a communication method, sending small signals of chakra into each other’s minds to talk silently between them. It had driven their parents up the wall because it meant they were up to no good. But now, he could feel nothing but the physical connection, Amaya noticed this too, and if it were possible, her empty eyes grew even more distant. “My chakra has been sealed off.” She croaked out as more of a statement than a question, assuming the nurses had done it for whatever reason. Kakashi nodded, trying to keep himself together, squeezing her hand tighter. “Yes, yes it has. But you’ll get it back very soon.” He assured, his voice cracking at the end. Amaya looked into his visible eye with a tired expression, but nodded, her head feeling fuzzy, like there was something missing. “Okay…” She said slowly.

“Do… Do you remember what happened…?” Kakashi asked hesitantly, eying his sister carefully. His heart sank when she shook her head. “I remember bits and pieces… Setting out on the mission, retrieving the temple scroll without any issues, and then heading back towards the village. But after that… Nothing.” Amaya explained, her voice hoarse from not being used for so long. Kakashi nodded in understanding- Tsunade had told him to expect this- that as a coping mechanism, Amaya would block out the traumatic memories completely- forgetting them. He couldn’t blame her- not one bit. “That’s okay,” He said suddenly, “everyone came back safe, you’re safe, that’s all that matters.” Kakashi assured with his trademark eye smile. “That’s good.” Amaya said quietly before looking at her brother again. “How long…?” She began to ask, but trailed off towards the end, searching Kakashi’s worn face as if it held the answers. “…Nearly nine months…” Kakashi mumbled, his head tipping forward sadly. Amaya seemed taken aback by this- she assumed maybe a week or two, three tops, obviously she was a little off the mark. “…Kami…” She breathed, resting her head back on the pillows, looking up at the starch white ceiling. They didn’t say anything for a while, till Kakashi looked up again, seeing that Amaya’s eyes had begun to droop from exhaustion. “Hey…” He called softly, tapping her hand, which made her become more alert again. “Mhmm…” She mumbled out, turning her head to the side to look at him. “How are you feeling, physically speaking?” Kakashi asked, looking over her thin frame and pale skin. Amaya didn’t reply straight away, but then shifted in her propped up position till she was sitting up all on her own, her braided hair falling on either sides of her face. “Sore. I ache from not moving for so long. Apart from that, just very tired.” She said slowly, but then frowned. “I can’t move my legs.” She looked at Kakashi suddenly, her voice laced with slight panic.

“That’s to be expected. Your legs were badly broken, and needed to be set and braced for a good few months. And then there is also the fact that you have lost 80% of your muscle strength from not moving.” A familiar voice came from the doorway, both Jounin turning to Tsunade, who had a relieved but stern look on her face. “Because of this, you will need to enrol into the rehabilitation centre and begin physiotherapy to learn how to walk again.” She explained, finding it difficult to not shed tears at Amaya’s solemn face. “…Right. Yes of course.” Amaya nodded. She paused- thinking for a moment- which put both Kakashi and Tsunade on edge. “Can… can you tell me what happened? I really can’t remember. Why has both mine and Kurama’s chakra been sealed away? Wouldn’t it make more sense to let him heal me like he’s always done? It would save you and nurses from having to waste time on me.” She asked, frowning in confusion as Kakashi and Tsunade shared brief worried looks between each other. Tsunade moved further into the room and took a seat next to Kakashi. “What I’m about to tell you may or may not cause your lost memories to come back- in which case I need you to remain calm and grounded, understand? You must realise that you are safe here, and nothing will harm you under our protection,” the blonde woman began, eyeing the silver haired woman carefully, who nodded slowly, looking tense all of a sudden. Tsunade released a deep breath through her nose.

“Nearly nine months ago, you were rushed here after being captured by an unknown enemy. Your team made it back here thanks to a shadow clone you sent- along with the coordinates to your location. A team was sent out to locate and bring you back, but what they found upon arrival wasn’t what they had expected. Upon evaluating your condition, you had been brutally tortured for days, for what purpose- we do not know. The enemy knew who you were however- or more-so that you carried the nine tails. They sealed away Kurama, as well as your own chakra, most likely to get information out of you. Because of this, Kurama was and has been unable to heal your wounds, as have we thanks to the seals branding your skin. All efforts we have made to heal you these past few months have been reversed, and we almost lost you because of it. I had no choice but to put you into a medical induced coma until your wounds and injuries had healed fully on their own- if I hadn’t, your pain would have been unimaginable.” She paused, noticing that Amaya’s expression had grown slightly more haunted than before. “Do you remember something?” She asked, leaning forward. Amaya nodded almost distractedly, her eyes widening a fraction. “It’s hazy, I only remember bits and pieces. We were heading back to the village with the scroll… we were ambushed by at least seven to one… S ranked ninja I think. We were overwhelmed… my team were being held hostage, and were threatened to be killed on the spot if I didn’t cooperate. I can’t see faces- the memory isn’t that clear… that’s all I can remember.” She shook her head, trying to remember more, only to look up when Kakashi touched her arm. “Don’t force yourself.” He said, shaking his head slowly. Amaya just nodded, feeling her eyes droop again. “Get some rest. We’ll speak to you again when you wake up.” Tsunade ordered, and that was all it took for Amaya to give in to the welcoming peacefulness of natural slumber.


	4. Through Blood and Sweat, I Shall Rise

A few months passed after Amaya woke up. Which consisted of therapy sessions supervised by the Hokage herself- some going really well, others filled with frustration and lashes of uncharacteristic rage when the silver haired Jounin couldn’t do something as simple as balancing on one leg. Tsunade’s methods were exhausting, and more often than not, Amaya would return to her hospital room too tired to talk to Kakashi for a while before visiting hours were over, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and wouldn’t wake till the next morning- for the next session.

This became a daily routine, but after a while, Amaya gradually grew used to the therapy, and was filling out again before Tsunade’s and Kakashi’s very eyes now that she was able to eat solids again. Her skin had also regained some of its colour- but the scars from her injuries were still littered across her face and arms, and wouldn’t disappear until Kurama was freed. She now had more scars than Kakashi did- and that wasn’t something that was easily beaten. Kakashi found Amaya wandering in the gardens that belonged to the rehab centre- noticing from afar that she had finally got rid of the limp that had been affecting her left leg for a while now. Her pace was still slow, but she was upright and moving without aid- making Kakashi breathe a sigh of relief. “Amaya!” he called, gaining his sibling’s attention. She turned to the voice and blinked in surprise, obviously having just been in her own daze. “Oh, Nii-san, I didn’t notice your chakra- never mind.” She cut herself short- remembering that without her own chakra, there was no way she would be able to detect others.

She shook her head and made her way over to the taller ninja, embracing him in a small hug and smiling up at him, only for that smile to be wiped clean - a frown appearing in its place. She reached up and tugged the edge of the one eyed Jounin’s mask down slightly, revealing a perfect tan line from where the sun hadn’t been able to penetrate the fabric. “You haven’t been wearing sun-cream again have you?” She asked, shaking her head- her smile back on her face when she saw the contrast between the milky white skin under his mask and the tanned-bordering on burnt skin above it. She chuckled with mirth when Kakashi rolled his visible eye at her, pulling the edge of his mask back up.  
“I fell asleep in a tree and lost track of time. But that’s not important- Tsunade wishes to speak to you.” He explained, turning towards the main building, ushering Amaya to follow him. She fell in beside him as they walked leisurely back into the rehab centre, their slouched, lazy hands-in-pockets postures mimicked perfectly between them as they took their time walking through the hallways. If their appearances weren’t enough to convince someone, their replicated body language would definitely prove that they were siblings.

“Despite everything, you two are still going to be late as usual, aren’t you?” Tsunade scolded lightly as the silver haired siblings walked into her office 10 minutes late. “Well you see…” Kakashi began, trying to think up an excuse on the spot. “…A black cat crossed our path, so we had to walk around the long way.” Amaya finished without so much as blinking at telling such an obvious lie. Tsunade stared at them with an unimpressed gaze, but said nothing. “Amaya, take a seat.” She said instead, gesturing towards the chair that sat in front of her desk. The Jounin complied, Kakashi waiting patiently by the door. The Hokage picked up a file that had Amaya’s name printed on the front and began reading through it. “You have been here for a total of six months now, and I am pleased to see that you have recovered fully from your injuries and muscle deterioration, and have no more reason to keep you here now that you can walk properly again. However, because of your chakra being sealed away, you would be putting yourself, and your team mates at risk if I were to send you out on missions again.”

She paused, watching how Amaya’s face dropped. “So to counter this until we figure out how to get your chakra back, you will be training with Gai and Lee until I say so otherwise. You may have built your strength back up to a healthy civilian level, but not enough to be a Jounin again. In order for me to send you out on missions, your Taijutsu skills need to be perfect, and those muscle loving knuckleheads are perfect for the task.” She paused again, noticing the look of dread that flashed across Amaya’s features before disappearing again. “I will be discharging you today, but need I remind you that save for us and the rookie nine, the village have no idea that you were captured over a year ago. You had been helping the land of Waves get back on their feet and have only just returned. Despite you not remembering, we cannot afford the village knowing in fear of panic breaking out, do you understand?” Tsunade clarified, only relaxing when Amaya nodded.

“Of course, Hokage-Sama. I am very thankful for all you have done for me.” Amaya said as she stood again, bowing in respect before straightening again, giving the blonde a smile she hadn’t seen on the silver haired woman’s features in far too long. Tsunade just huffed and waved her hand distractedly. “You are dismissed and free to go home. Your training will begin as soon as possible. We need a Jounin like you back in action, plus Team 9 needs their leader back.” She said gesturing for the Hatake siblings to leave.

As soon as they stepped outside of the main entrance of the rehab centre, Amaya felt a smaller body slam into hers, followed by two more, causing her to lose her balance from the sudden weight against her torso. She hit the ground with an ‘umph’, her head landing just before Kakashi’s feet as she stared up at him in alarm. “W-what-?” She stuttered as she felt three pairs of hands clutch tightly into her clothing. “Amaya-sensei!” They cried, their tears streaming down their faces. “H-Haruka…? Ruu? K-Kanda?!” Amaya breathed out in alarm, practically pinned to the floor as her teammates bawled out sentences that made no sense. “We missed you so much Amaya-sensei! While you’ve been recovering, we’ve been trained by Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei, and it was awful!” Ruu wailed, smushing his face into Amaya’s stomach as he clung to her for dear life. “We had to wear stupid green jumpsuits and do stupid amounts of laps around the village- on our hands! And Kakashi-sensei did nothing, just lounged in trees all day!” Kanda yelled through his tears whilst playing with the ends of Amaya’s long silver hair absently. Amaya sighed with a crooked smile as she sat up, hugging her teammates. “Maa, you’ve also picked up their emotional side too huh? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you guys cry.” Amaya chuckled, ruffling their hair.

Her attention was then drawn away from her teammates when a familiar enthusiastic “Amaya!” was shot her way, and the silver haired woman wanted nothing more than to be swallowed up by the earth then and there. She stood up again and brushed the dust off her trousers before pulling a weak forced smile. “Ah, Gai, what a pleasant surprise…” She trailed off, chuckling awkwardly as the green Jounin all but pounced on her, landing his hands on her shoulders and shaking her excitedly. “Are you ready for some super ultra no-chakra training?!” He grinned down at the Hatake sibling, and it took everything Amaya had to not groan and roll her eyes. “As ready as ever… yaaay…” Amaya droned out with an unenthusiastic fist pump, making Kakashi snort quietly in amusement.

By this point, Amaya’s team had stopped crying and were staring at the two Jounin’s in horror. “Amaya-sensei! Don’t tell us you’re training with him too?!” Ruu Yelled, standing up in alarm. Amaya just chuckled quietly and rubbed the back of her head. “Uh yeah, I am. I have to perfect my Taijutsu in order to be in charge of you guys again, Hokage’s orders. But don’t worry, I’ll be back to taking you out on missions in no time.” She smiled at them in a way very similar to Kakashi’s eye smile. “Then it’s settled. Let’s go and train into the sunset. I’ll have you strong again in no time Amaya!” Gai declared loudly with a cheesy thumbs up. Amaya felt her eye twitch.

“R-right now? I’ve only just been discharged… I’m going home first Gai.” Amaya objected, folding her arms in defiance. The stare-down that followed was tense and electric, what with Amaya being as stubborn as her brother. In the end Gai huffed and put his hands on his hips. “Alright then. You can go home and freshen up, because then you have the perfect opportunity to get changed into this!” he yelled pulling out a replica of the green jumpsuit he was wearing. “The ultimate training jumpsuit of youth! It is essential that you wear one during our training to reap the most out of our efforts!” He exclaimed loudly, trying to get Amaya to take it off him. “Not a chance in hell.” Amaya shot him down instantly, glaring daggers at the jumpsuit as if it had personally insulted her.

Gai gasped out dramatically and took a step back, but then his expression became determined. “If you won’t put it on voluntarily, then you leave me with no other choice.” He ground out, grinning almost maliciously, putting Amaya on edge. Before anyone could react, Gai appeared right in Amaya’s space and pushed his palm flat against her stomach, yelling “Summoning Jutsu!” with an evil glint in his eye. “WHAT-” Amaya began to yell, only to be interrupted by a bang and a large poof of smoke, obscuring her from sight. When the smoke cleared away in the wind, everyone was staring at her in shock except for Gai, who just looked overly pleased with himself. Amaya looked down at herself to find that she was now wearing the ugly green jumpsuit… “You summoned it on me?!” She yelled in a fit of rage. Gai just huffed again, giving her the thumbs up. “As I expected. Green suits you perfectly.” He grinned, completely oblivious to Amaya’s temper practically boiling over, only for it to dissipate as quickly as it had flared up, her shoulders visibly slumping in defeat. She sighed heavily, looking away from the energetic Jounin. “Fine, whatever. You win.”

Gai stalled for a second, having prepared a variety of comebacks to fire at the Jounin, not expecting her to give in so easily without a fight. “W-Really? That’s it? Where’s that fiery youthful spirit of yours gone?!” Gai whelped in dismay. At this Amaya felt a vein pop up on her forehead. “If I were to argue with you about this, we’d be here all day, and right now, I don’t have the patience for that, so let’s get started then, I’m pretty well rested anyway.” Amaya gritted out whilst giving the older Jounin one of her bitch-faces. Gai practically beamed with joy, grabbing hold of Amaya’s wrist and pulling her with him in the direction of one of the main training grounds. “Then let’s gooooooooo!!!” He yelled, walking at a pace that forced Amaya into a staggered jog. “Have fun!” Kakashi called after their retreating backs, Amaya turning to give him the stink eye and shouting, “Bite me!” just before being dragged around the corner.

* * *

  A few days past, and if Amaya had thought Tsunade’s rehab sessions had been brutal, she had no definition as to what Gai’s training was. It was barely past one in the afternoon on the third day, yet she had already climbed at least 40 different trees using only her upper body strength- with 10kg weights strapped to her legs… This was it; this was the end. She could see the light getting closer… Gai would be the death of her, she just knew it.

“What’s _wrong_ slow-poke? Getting tired already?!” Gai yelled at her from below where she was currently dangling from a branch like some kind of monkey. Amaya felt that vein pop up in her head again. “Maybe it’s because I’ve been forced to wear this stupid green monstrosity at one in the afternoon- in the middle of fucking July!” She yelled back, continuing to climb the rest of the 80ft tree she was stuck in. “Ne, Gai-sensei, don’t you think Amaya-sensei reminds you of some kind of animal?” Lee piped up from beside his trainer, putting a thoughtful expression on the Jounin’s face. “Hmm… Now that you mention it, you’re right… That’s it!” He exclaimed suddenly and very loudly, so much so that even Amaya could hear him clearly. “What is it, sensei?” Lee asked, suddenly as excited as Gai was. “Just this. Amaya-sensei is in fact… A sloth!” He flashed his teeth with a gleam, putting his hands on his hips.

Amaya now had several veins popping upon her forehead after hearing that insult. “What was that- caterpillar-brow?!” She hissed back venomously, flipping off the two on the ground before picking up her pace- surprised that she found it relatively easy to do so. “You see, Lee. A little motivation goes a long way.” Gai said with a wise aura about him. Lee suddenly had twinkling stars in his eyes. “Such moving, inspirational words, sensei!” he whelped, wiping a manly tear away. Now Gai was crying too, but refusing to budge for his hands-on-hips pose. “Amaya has grown up so much!” He garbled out as he watched the Kunoichi reach the top of the tree. “I’m 23 Gai! Not some snotty kid learning how to tie their laces!” Amaya yelled out in frustration, only to lose her grip from shaking her fist at him. “Shit-!” She yelled out in alarm and planted her foot against a branch to stop her fall. Her panic grew when all the action did was push her away from the tree and into mid-air, forgetting that she didn’t have chakra to channel into her feet to root her to the side of the tree.

“Shit!” Amaya yelped louder this time as she saw the ground approaching quicker than she liked. “Amaya!” She heard Gai shout, but she reacted on instinct, forming a shadow clone seal without thinking. To her surprise and awe, one singular replica of herself appeared into existence and caught her before she hit the ground. But as soon as they were on land again, both her and the clone sank to their knees like puppets with no strings. The clone detonated violently instead of dispersing , and an ominous purple glow began to form around the metal collar on her neck. Amaya suddenly felt like her spine had just been jabbed, her back arching off the floor as her body began to spasm from the dark purple electricity jolting through her as the collar reacted. She let out chocked gasps as the current ripped through her system, unable to see or hear Gai panicking, telling Lee to get Kakashi and inform Tsunade. When the spasms stopped, everything went still and quiet save for a fairly strong breeze that swept over the training area around them, fanning Amaya’s hair out over the grass like a cape. Her pale grey eyes stared up at the sky- unseeing and blank, and a twisting knot of dread curled up in Gai’s stomach as he knelt next to the woman, trying to coax some kind of response from her. She had a pulse, and her breathing was relatively normal, but her eyes- vacant.

Kakashi appeared next to them in a whirlwind of leaves, immediately crouching down to inspect the downed Jounin. “What happened? Lee said she fell out of a tree and summoned a clone to stop herself. How is that possible, her chakra is inaccessible.” He said hurriedly, patting Amaya’s cheek repeatedly after checking her pulse. Gai sighed, straightening up again. “That’s pretty much it, Kakashi. She managed to summon one singular clone, but after that… they both collapsed, the clone quite literally blowing up like a paper bomb, and Amaya became shocked with this strange dark electricity coming from the collar. She seems to be just unconscious, but I called for Lady Tsunade just in case.” He shrugged, concern furrowing his brows. Kakashi just nodded, but as he went to scoop his sister up into his arms, her fist closed around his wrist with a vice-like grip- the movement so fast that without using his Sharingan, he had missed it. But what startled him further, were the deep red, seething eyes of the nine tails staring back at him instead of Amaya’s pale grey ones. **“When I get out… I’ll torture them, slowly… intimately… in every way I know they fear… till they are begging for mercy, begging for me to stop… _BEGGING_ for me to end their existences… And then, when their minds are shattered, and only then, will I let them go.”** Amaya’s voice echoed maliciously like every other time Kurama decided to surface.

**“This seal won’t hold me forever…”** she spoke through gritted teeth, stumbling up onto her feet, Kakashi doing the same. **“THIS SEAL WON’T HOLD ME FOREVER!!”** She screamed, Kurama’s demonic voice carrying over the entire training field with a slight tremor, making Kakashi and Gai cover their ears at the chilling sound. They hadn’t heard the nine tails get that angry in quite some time, but considering that he would have seen and felt everything Amaya had gone through, it wasn’t all that surprising. Amaya’s eyes then began to flicker between Kurama’s and her own, eventually settling on one grey eye, one red eye, before she spoke again in a way that was oddly both her and Kurama,

_**“** **Through blood and sweat, I shall rise.”** _


	5. A Pawn To Be Manipulated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long overdue chapter! So sorry for taking an age to get this one up, starting university is a pain in the ass...  
> Also, there's quite a bit of violence in this one, so if you're not really into that kinda thing, well, I suggest you find a kinder story to read, as this is pretty much the rate it's going to stay at, might get worse, who knows? 
> 
> Enjoy!

Even after a thorough check up from Tsunade- who had explained that physically, Amaya was fine, the Jounin wasn’t herself. Whenever she wasn’t training with Gai and Lee, she would just sit under a tree and stare at nothing in particular- deep in thought. She seemed distracted from the world around her- like the only place that mattered was the training ground they had taken occupation over, and everything outside of it simply didn’t exist. She wouldn’t leave, hadn’t for a while, just trained, ate, slept, over and over again to the point where she didn’t even register that she had begun to use Gai’s heaviest equipment.

Amaya breezed through the days as if they were mere seconds to her, rapidly building up the muscle she had lost. In the end, Gai had intervened, saying that she had trained enough to begin sparring with them.That process was a lot faster. Amaya had already been an excellent Tai-jutsu fighter before her capture. And the moves came naturally- albeit a little rusty. It was just like getting back on a bike after a while of not riding it. The knowledge was all there, it was just a matter of practice- getting back up to speed- letting each move flow effortlessly into the next, like an intricate dance of attack, block, dodge and improvise.

Amaya’s footwork became fluent but efficient, next to no errors as she advanced. Her punches and kicks became more lethal by the day, and had already managed to render one of Lee’s arms useless for a good two thirds of their last fight. She hadn’t beaten them yet, but she was very close to it, and the fact that she could take on both of them at once and be relatively comfortable with it, showed how far she had progressed. She had also grown used to the 10kg weights on her legs- never took them off. She had ditched the jumpsuit though, much to Gai’s chagrin.

Amaya and Kakashi had been walking through the streets during a break when they happened to pass by a tavern known for having the worst bar fights in the village. 

Something nagging at the back of her mind told her to go inside. So she did. 

"Wha- Amaya? Where are you going?!" 

"I fancy a bottle of Sake." Was all the response he got as she passed through the double doors. Kakashi's eye twitched before he too went inside. He hated places like this. 

Once inside, he located Amaya already sitting at the bar, chucking back a cup of Sake like it was soda. Tsunade would be proud. 

Thankfully it was relatively empty- a handful of people at most. Kakashi suspected the early hour of the day had something to do with that.

Kakashi sat down quietly next to his sister, watching her. Amaya swallowed her second cup before turning to him. "What?" 

"You can't get drunk."

Amaya opened her mouth to retaliate when the double doors were suddenly smashed open violently, turning everybody's heads. 

A group of five muscly men stormed in, the one in the middle pointing a grimy finger at the siblings. 

"Why the fuck are two fucking Shinobi sat in my fucking bar space?" He yelled. Nobody answered. Well..

"I'm sorry," Amaya started, Kakashi closing his eyes, exasperated. He knew that tone well enough. The female Jounin stood up from her seat, looking the man in the eye despite her height being dwarfed by his. "Your space...?" She asked, feigning innocence.

The man stepped closer, his chest millimeters away from Amaya's face. "Yes. My space. You should leave before I show you what we do with unwanted guests." He said lowly. Amaya would give him intimidation kudos if she wasn't already pissed at him. At first she refused to budge, leveling the man with a glare equal to his. To say the air in the room was tense was laughable, and Kakashi was seconds away from stepping in, only then, Amaya relaxed her posture, surrendering. She smiled apologetically. "Of course, my mistake. Excuse me gentlemen." She bowed her head a fraction before weaving her way around the group and towards the front doors.

"Yeah that's right, run along and kiss the feet of the Hokage you sniveling little whore!" The man yelled, followed by the tavern bursting into laughter.

Amaya stopped. Then the collar began to bleep - the sound getting louder and quicker.

Amaya's body tensed up briefly, before shit went south. She picked up a stool by the leg and slingshot it across the room with every ounce of strength she possessed, blinding rage fixed on her face as the stool obliterated the moment it impacted with the back of the man's head, flooring him instantly. Nobody moved- just stared in horror at the caved in state of the man's skull, and the crimson puddle that was forming on the not so clean floor. 

Amaya heaved out breaths through barred teeth, her eyes narrowed lividly. "Does anyone else want to call me a whore?!" She roared at them. as she took a heavy step forward, everyone else (save for Kakashi, who was too stunned at that point to move) backed away, mortified. 

"You're a fucking monster!" Someone shouted, fanning the flames with a fuel soaked rag. 

Somehow making it possible, Amaya's expression grew even darker. 

"Wrong answer." 

With speed only achieved through excessive and extensive Tai Jutsu training, Amaya seemingly just vanished before their very eyes, reappearing in a blur directly in front of a different member of the small group, elbowing them in the nose and disappearing again before the man even had a chance to hit the ground- out cold. 

She appeared again, slamming another thug's face into a nearby table, breaking it in half- dead. "I'll let you in on a little secret." She grit out, colliding two other guy's heads together with a sickening crunch- both dead, before moving on, sending the tavern into chaos. "If you call me a whore," she paused, roundhouse kicking another person right in the jaw, snapping their neck. "I'll kill you." She spat, pivoting to knee another man's nose up into his skull. 

"If you tell me what to do," She paused again, flipping someone over her shoulder and into a wall. "I'll beat the shit out of you." 

Then she appeared behind the man who insulted her. "And if you call a Jintuuriki a monster, well," She laughed darkly as the man spun round in fear at the realisation of who exactly was standing in front of him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned into his ear. "That's just a death sentence." Looking diretly ahead of her as she spoke, she ploughed her arm straight through his abdomen, simply letting the man slide backwards and into a crumpled heap at her feet, horror forever frozen on his face.

Silence fell over the tavern, save for the panting breaths from Amaya, and the remains of a table finally collapsing to join the heap of bodies littering the ground. 

Kakashi sat frozen, his pupils pinpricks after witnessing the tavern get almost completely annihilated. He watched as his younger sibling sighed, wiping her bloody arm across her flak jacket. She turned to look directly at him then, a dark smirk pulling at her lips. 

Kakashi had never heard four words more chilling.

"It's your move, Konoha."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smaller chapter than the others, but I had to get something on here, sorry if it's crappy, I'm tired.   
> Next chapter should be more interesting hopefully. 
> 
> Peace out!


	6. Worse Than A Death Sentence?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another shortish chapter. I'm not making the same mistake as before and leaving it for ages! Hope this is okay... The plot is starting to pick up now, and I'm already working on the next chapter! :)

To say that Amaya was thrown off when she woke up in a padded room, was an understatement.

Then she remembered what she had done, and suddenly the padded room wasn’t so bad.

She’d had no control, but had wanted to hurt those people, had _wanted_ to kill them. And that fact unnerved her.

She may have escaped whoever captured her physically, but they still had their hooks buried deep in her skin.

They were toying with her, knew her every move, and she was almost certain that this wasn’t the end of it.

The tavern was just an experiment… One that had worked. They would up their game next, target more important people in the village, like the Elder Council, Tsunade, the Fire Lord, family-

“Fuck!” She yelled to the starch white ceiling. She could have killed Kakashi, she could have lost her only remaining family-

Flashes of memories zipped through her head in a jumble, before her mind settled again.

It had been quick, and made little sense at all, but what she did get from that was Kakashi dying.

She definitely saw that.

But how?

Gen Jutsu?

Probably.

Just as she was attempting to piece together the tangled web of events, the armoured white door keeping her trapped buzzed before sliding open slowly.

Danzo stepped through the threshold.

The last person she expected to grace her with a visit was him.

_“Danzo…?”_ Amaya looked at the man, her brows at her hairline. They pinched into a frown when four AMBU trailed in behind him, fully armed.

“Hatake Amaya, you are under arrest from the murder of seven civilians, and the attempted murder of two more. I suggest you come quietly.”

Amaya didn’t know what to say. What could she say to that? He was right, she had killed those people.

It was only fair that she repented for her crime.

So she simply nodded and stood, silently following them out of the cell after she had been restrained rather excessively.

The four AMBU lead her forcefully through winding corridors till they stopped in front of two large stone doors. When they opened, they revealed a highly furnished court room, full of shinobi- some she knew, others not so much.

She was walked into the middle of the room, where her hands were then handcuffed to a metal railing in front of her.

The room was silent, the air full of anger, confusion and remorse.

The first people she saw were her brother, Tsunade, and the rookie nine, all with looks of both rage and desperation on their faces.

Amaya’s attention was drawn back to Danzo when he sat himself down where the judge would normally sit.

_No…_

“Now that we are all gathered…”

_No way…_

“A very serious matter had suddenly come to light.”

_This can’t be happening…_

“At exactly thirteen hundred hours yesterday evening, you, Amaya Hatake, entered the Cross Keys tavern, accompanied by Hatake Kakashi, do you deny this?” Danzo asked, staring down at her with an unrelenting gaze.

Amaya grit her teeth.

“I do not.”

“Then you must also agree that by doing this, despite knowing the reputation of this particular tavern, you put yourself, Hatake Kakashi, and the rest of the general public in the vicinity in danger, did you not?”

Amaya inhaled through her nose to calm herself.

“I did.”

“Several witnesses claim that after you entered the bar, you then proceeded to mercilessly beat and slaughter each and every one present- save for your own brother. Do you deny this crime?”

Amaya didn’t reply.

“I asked you a question.”

“I do not. However, if I may, I’d like to say that I was not in control of my own actions from the point of entering the tavern. Nor is my brother guilty of assisting me. I would never willingly slaughter anybody for no justifiable reason, especially civilians from my own village, but I will take full responsibility, so I want you to assure me now, that my brother is free.”

“Kakashi is not the issue here. You are. Do you have evidence to support your claim?”

Amaya’s jaw dropped.

“With all due respect, sir, as I’m sure you know well enough, I was captured, put through hell, and fitted with a devise that does fuck knows what! I AM THE EVIDENCE DAMN IT! I COULDN’T STOP MYSELF!!” She yelled, her arms locking against the handcuffs restraining her.

“This may be all true, Miss Hatake, but from Lady Tsunade’s medical report, the metal collar found around your neck at the time of your rescue, has only been found to seal away yours and the nine tails’ chakra. There is no evidence that suggests it meddles with your common sense and general way of thinking. Your claim is inferior.”

“What exactly are you suggesting?” Amaya bit back, unable to stop her temper get the better of her.

“I’m not suggesting anything, Hatake. I’m stating a clear fact. You are a murderer. And must be sanctioned like one.”

Amaya fell silent as she watched Danzo stand up.

“For treason against the village, the tailed beast residing within you will be extracted and sealed into a new host, to which you will then be put to death during the process.”

The court erupted into cries of anger and dismay. Several witnesses- including Tsunade- stood up from their seats to object.

Danzo paused, his visible eye flickering over to Kakashi who stood with the rest of the witnesses, looking like he wanted to personally murder him. How ironic.

"Except, you will not be put to death. You are too valuable for execution, and your death would make the village vulnerable. However, to compensate, you will be stripped of your Jounin rank and your status as a Konoha civilian. Any rights you may have held before hand are now void. You will join ROOT as of immediately, and work under my command until you are can physically no longer serve or die. Do not think you have escaped, if you fail to complete a single mission, or disobey an order- no matter the circumstance, the original punishment will be carried out as it should be. Lady Tsunade has been too lenient in what you’ve been allowed to do up until now. You will inherit the status you were supposed to accept the moment you became the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki: Konoha’s weapon. That is what you are. A weapon. Nothing more. ROOT is where you belong.  This matter is not up for discussion, but even if it was, your death would jeopardise the village’s status, putting the village under risk of attack. Would you really want to do that to us, the people you care about most?” He asked, knowing that by saying that, he would obtain her full devotion.

He stood up, as did the rest of the high council, and simply left, leaving Amaya, as well as the entirety of the court- people she valued as close friends, if not family- frozen in silence. Amaya was eerily silent as she rolled over what had just happened in her head.

She did nothing as an AMBU captain appeared by her side, unchained her wrists and removed her forehead protector and flak jacket. She did nothing as they destroyed them both there and then. Did nothing when they made the relevant hand seals in quick succession before touching the skin of her right bicep. Stared ahead as she felt the sting of the AMBU Black Ops insignia being forever branded into her flesh. She only flinched a fraction when a kunai was sliced shallowly across her lower arm, the blood being allowed to completely drench her hand before it was pressed down onto a scroll that had many bloody handprints just like the one she was making. She absently thought that Kakashi would have done the same thing years ago, and that fact made it a little easier to deal with, knowing that he knew what she was going through, that she wasn’t alone experiencing this. Well- maybe not being stripped of rank and village status… That was just for rouge ninjas…

That’s essentially what she was now- a rogue ninja forced to work for ROOT. It was either that, or be executed. She honestly couldn’t decide which was worse. Was this worse than a death sentence? Allowed to survive, but not to live. Her wings had been clipped indefinitely.

She already hated it. Probably always will.


End file.
